Oulton Broad Primary School

Inspection of Oulton Broad Primary School Christmas Lane, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR32 3JX

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since July 2015. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 25 and 26 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Oulton Broad is a unique and special place to learn. Everyone is proud to be a member of ‘Team OB’. The school values of ‘caring, learning and winning’ are at the heart of everything the school does.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy, safe, keen and inquisitive. They praise the school for its many opportunities. Pupils value the school’s ethos and the support that staff offer them. The quality of care that pupils receive enables them to thrive. Staff inspire pupils to have a go and learn new things. Pupils are confident and enthusiastic learners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Learning is fun and exciting. All lessons have ‘green light moments’. These encourage pupils to make links across subjects and with prior learning. Pupils achieve highly across all areas of the curriculum. They are articulate and reflect on their learning. Knowledgeable staff extend and expand pupils’ interests. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are extensive opportunities for pupils to contribute to school life. Attendance is high. Pupils do not want to miss learning. Pupils demonstrate exemplary behaviour, attitudes and character. They hold strong moral values. Pupils thoroughly understand the principles of equality and valuing what makes each individual unique.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has carefully considered the content of the curriculum it wants pupils to learn and how this is organised and taught. For each subject, staff have agreed on the core knowledge, vocabulary and key concepts children need to learn. As soon as children start in the Nursery class, there is a sharp focus on developing language and communication skills. Building pupils’ oracy and extending their use of language is a thread that runs throughout the curriculum and across the school.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils understand that reading not only gives them pleasure but is also essential for them to be successful learners. Staff have adopted a systematic approach to the teaching of phonics. Regular checks of pupils at an early stage of reading help identify and address knowledge gaps swiftly. Highly individualised support ensures that pupils who find reading difficult catch up quickly. All staff are leaders of reading. Pupils read a wide variety of recommended books from the school’s reading spine. They talk in detail about the style and genre of the texts they have studied and what they enjoy or dislike.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils learn to apply different features of what they read in their writing across the curriculum. They learn how to entertain, inform, persuade and discuss. Pupils take pride in presentation. Their books demonstrate work that builds rich knowledge and skills over time. Each week, a ‘green light write’ encourages pupils to reflect on their learning and consider how to improve their work.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school is equally ambitious for what pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) can achieve. Staff identify pupils’ needs quickly and accurately. They 25 and 26 March 2025

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ensure pupils’ needs are met so they progress well through the curriculum. Pupils in the Kingfishers class benefit from a bespoke curriculum expertly designed to meet their needs. As a result, pupils with SEND get the right teaching and help to achieve their potential.

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Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are exemplary. In classes, there are moments of great enthusiasm, which then calm quickly as staff explain the next step in the learning. Pupils’ motivation is high as they want to do well and improve. At breaktime and lunchtime, older pupils support younger pupils. There is something for everyone to do. There are opportunities to share books, relax and play games. At the end of each lunchtime, ‘Team OB’ dances together.

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There is a wide range of clubs open to all pupils. These offer opportunities for pupils to explore talents and skills and discover new passions. There are meaningful roles and leadership opportunities for pupils. These include the school council, mathematics ambassadors, librarians and learning leads. Pupils’ opinions are valued. They learn to become active members of their local community, for example, through visits to local care homes and litter picking.

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Staff, parents and carers and pupils are overwhelmingly positive about the impact of the school’s work. There is a shared belief that through caring, everyone can learn, and through learning, everyone is a winner. The school inspires confidence in staff, pupils and parents. Everyone is a leader, learner and teacher. Staff, pupils and parents have a voice. Their ideas are listened to and acted upon. The school ensures that all staff have the training, knowledge and skills required to deliver the ambitious curriculum. This enables all pupils to thrive and succeed.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and 25 and 26 March 2025

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pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 25 and 26 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 16 and 17 July 2015, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  The school has a special educational needs unit called ‘Kingfishers’. This is for 12 pupils with speech, language and communication needs and autism. All pupils attending the unit have an education, health and care plan.  The school runs a before- and after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 25 and 26 March 2025

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, the senior leadership team, the special educational needs coordinator and members of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design, history and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also discussed the curriculum and provision for pupils with SEND and sampled work from other areas of the curriculum.  Inspectors considered the responses and free-text responses submitted by parents to

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the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also gathered parents’ views by speaking to them at the end of the school day.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Oriana Dalton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rob Edwards Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 March 2025

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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